Faux
by Elexies
Summary: A lab assistant is brought into Sumdac Towers to help finish Megatron's new body, but when it's discovered she's a Pretender, Megatron decides such a being would be nothing but perfect for the Decepticon army. Megatron/Original Character/Prowl
1. Chapter 1

_A new one. I know I shouldn't try playing the two-story-at-one-time game, but I had this idea and for the life of me couldn't get rid of it, so we'll see what happens. =3 Mostly based on the new Animated cartoon (not half bad but I can't say I approve of what they did to Soundwave *terror!*). As always, constructive criticism is welcome! _

_-Elexies_

It had been too long trapped in this miserable laboratory in the disgraceful shape he was in, and to be perfectly frank the idiot that ran said lab was one more useless mistake away from being terminated. While Megatron knew most beggars could not be choosers, he felt he _deserved _to be quite choosey and he found the company he resided with _deplorable_. Isaac Sumdac was inept at his work, creating various robots and contraptions that were of little use except at menial tasks when he couldn't be doing something worthwhile, such as completing Megatron's new body. Everyday though, it was a new excuse for the scientist. Everyday there was something else he needed to work on, or he 'accidentally' spent far too much time working on another one of his useless, mindless robots. The idiot scientist spent more of his time trying to reverse engineer Megatron's body and trying to be discreet about it as well, now that Megatron was back online, than focusing on repairing it.

The Decepticon looked about the dark lab, growling to himself as he spotted his disconnected hand only fifteen feet away from him, sitting blandly and openly on the floor. The same had Sumdac used to sit in and contemplate the tv. It was disgraceful. While Megatron may had been offline his internal computer had done well to record everything that went on about him, everything, and there was nothing in the past fifty years that Megatron had missed, miserably.

The pitiful excuse for a new body Sumdac had been working for the past few months on rested to the far section of the lab, shoddily crafted compared to the original, but it would have to suffice until Megatron could get his hands on the All Spark and use it to his advantage. What he _really _needed what the child's Key. Sumdac's little brat that used the Key as a toy, frivolous with its usage, not nearly grasping the power that resided within such an artifact, and if Megatron could onlyget it from her he could use its power to reform himself as he once was, a powerful machine worthy of fear and awe, and then he would lay waste to this miserable planet and reclaim Cybertron as his own once more.

It would be sweet revenge to crush the Autobots beneath him, them and that wretched, backstabbing Starscream.

He looked sharply to the side as the doors to the lab slid open with a warm hiss, the short, stubby body of Sumdac walking in, dressed in his usual lab coat that fit him much too snugly, and his black leather gloves. Behind him was a woman, one that Megatron had not seen in Sumdac towers before, and never before in the private lab, and he quickly and quietly studied her.

She was fairly attractive, by human and even Cybertronian standards, but nothing at all special. Her skin was pale and very freckled, her hair a mass of vibrantly red dreadlocks pulled back into a messy bun, a few course bunches that were too short to be pulled back framing her face. Her lips were full and teased into a curious little smile and only eager interest shown in her vibrant green eyes. She was dressed modestly compared to most women her age, Megatron saw, a simple grey tank top and a pair of black slacks that hugged full, round hips. There was a leather jacket slung over her arm with a male's name, Steven, stitched over the left breast with gold thread.

"And this here is the private lab, you'll be spending most of your time in here," Sumdac informed in his clipped little tone, the scientist gesturing around with his usual tired expression planted on his face. He moved toward Megatron, but was looking up at her, the young woman standing over Isaac's very short stature by at least two feet, which Megatron decided measured her at about five and a half feet, still short. "I've already told you about my Autobot friend and you have met the others, so this shouldn't come as too great of a surprise."

"No sir, of course not," the woman smiled kindly, her warm voice touched with a heavy accent. Megatron scanned it lightly through his memory banks, recognizing it from his scan on the present day world he was trapped in, as Irish. Said accent was curious though considering, based on the computers he had scanned, the Irish accent had long ago been bled out of existence after another famine on the island as technology grew in America and the few other highly populated countries. He narrowed an optic curiously, watching as she followed Sumdac forward, pausing only slightly when she finally looked through the gloom of the lab and spotted Megatron, before she continued forward at Sumdac's urging.

"Don't be shy! Don't be shy!" he told her, before fully facing Megatron. "My friend, I have someone for you to meet!"

Ever the naïve fool, Isaac Sumdac.

Megatron could not wait to be rid of the man as well, him and his shrieking, robotic child. Such news was still a mystery to the girl, and he could only wonder how much longer Sumdac intended to keep such a fascinating secret from his 'kin.' He studied the woman curiously, eyes flashing.

"Greetings," he murmured, wishing momentarily for the use of a mouth, but that had been lost with most of his body, much of his facial plating gone, and all he had was his vocal processor. Mouths weren't necessary for bots. They were just a luxury to aid in the display of emotions, such as annoyance or faux happiness, which Megatron had found himself having to show a lot of in this hell of a lab. Perhaps it was better he did not have a mouth, or else Sumdac might have long ago caught onto his little fib that he was an Autobot. Megatron was certain he would have a miserable time trying to hide his frequent irritation with the fleshy little man.

"H-hello," the woman smiled helplessly, reaching up and rubbing at her brow. "Wow, quite a lot of damage."

"Very much so, I'm afraid," Sumdac sighed, shaking his head in feigned pity. Megatron sneered internally. It seemed he and Sumdac were generally both very fake with each other, Megatron pretending to be an Autobot, a friend, and patient with the human man, while Sumdac tried to pretend he was sorry for Megatron's state, while continuously leeching off of it. "I've found I have a good deal of trouble giving my friend here all the time he deserves for his new body, which is why _you _are here now!" The man smiled cheerfully, the woman grinning vaguely down at him in response, brushing a few spare dreadlocks behind a pierced ear, which merely slid back forward near her eyes. "You see, my friend, Cody here is one of the top engineers this Earth has to offer!" As if to prove his point he looked up to said 'top engineer.' "You got your degree where again?"

Still ever the mindless fool. Megatron sighed despite himself, wondering why it had taken Sumdac _this _long to realize that a lab assistant would get his 'friend' up and running faster.

"From Leyard University," Cody replied weakly, rubbing at the back of her neck. "But I suppose it doesn't mean much to you, aye?" She laughed and Megatron mentally agreed. It didn't mean _anything _to him actually. A degree was one matter, actual skill was another altogether. He would see how long this woman would last working on such an advanced piece of machinery as him.

"As long as I am rebuilt so that I can soon rejoin my brothers in arms," he spoke smoothly over the lie, having said it to Sumdac so many times that he'd had more than enough time to perfect it. "And quickly. I fear the Decepticon threat grows closer every day."

"Optimus was saying something along those lines," she murmured, before setting a smile on her face and looking down at Sumdac. "Well I can start right now if you'd like, sir. I've got nothing at all planned for the afternoon and I'd love to get to work."

Megatron would personally love for her to get to work too, and resisted snarling with rage as Sumdac shook his head, waving his hands.

"No, no, no, I couldn't possible let you! You're still new to these towers, please let me show you around!"

Cody blinked in slight surprise, tilting her head slowly, and Megatron was pleased that the woman could at least recognize an idiot as well. For all his success, Sumdac was just a useless puppet. She looked to Megatron, her glance even hinting at apologetic as the short scientist led her from the lab, the man jabbering the entire way back out the doors. Megatron followed her hungrily with his gaze, optics flashing once more as the door slid closed behind her.

If she was competent, perhaps he wouldn't have to wait too much longer in this miserable hell hole.

---

Cody looked up from her cup of tea as the doors to the small dining room opened, a young tanned girl bounding in cheerfully, her dark hair up adorably and her thigh length yellow dress fluttering behind her. She scrambled to get her winter coat off of her, bounding excitedly into the room. Cody personally wondered how the girl could manage to wander around outside in just the dress and coat, but children seemed impetuous to the weather. She supposed snow had never stopped her from wearing what she pleased outside in her younger days either. Her brow creased some at a twinge in the back of her mind as she tried to recall if she ever _had _played in the snow as a child, but she couldn't quite recall. She shrugged and took another sip of the tea.

"Oh good, Sari, you're home," Professor Sumdac called from the kitchen next to the table, moving around the counter to greet his child.

"Hi dad, can't stay long, gotta run! Bee and I are going to go ice skating and I can't _wait _to see him slip and fall!" the girl cried cheerfully, racing down a hall and returning not a few seconds later with a pair of ice skates in her hands.

"But I want you to meet my new lab assistant," Sumdac frowned, watching through constantly half-lidded eyes as his child ran for the door, waving dismissively as Cody. Cody smiled slightly as she watched the girl go.

"Hi, bye!"

Sumdac huffed slightly as she left in a flurry, sighing as the door slid closed behind his child. He shook his head and struggled his way up onto a seat, picking up his own cup of tea and taking a sip.

"That child. She never stops, always on the run with her little Autobot friend."

"Another Autobot?" Cody asked from the rim of her cup, taking a slow sip of the tea and wishing she had put more sugar in it.

She always needed more to really taste things. Her tea couldn't be sweet, it had to be _sweet_. Her food couldn't be spicy, it had to be _spicy_. Her boyfriend, Steven, found her a wonder and had also stopped coming over to her place for meals. Problem was, he couldn't cook to save his life, and despite her degree, Cody just couldn't afford to go out to eat every night like he could. In all honesty, she _needed _this job. It wasn't looking too cushy, but it was good money, and Sumdac was being generous enough to provide her with lodging his towers as well. She couldn't pass that offer up, even if it did mean working on the creepy robot in his lab.

She frowned, brow creasing some. Yes, that robot had been quite creepy. While the few Autobots she had met thus far had all been very different and interesting for her, they didn't make her skin crawl. Optimus had been warm and direct, Prowl polite enough, Ratchet charming in his gruff nature and Bulkhead delightful in his simplicity, but they were all friendly and nice. This new one though, goodness she hadn't even gotten his name, he had been far too smooth for his own good, almost too suave.

It sparked a primal urge in her, an urge to run.

"…always running around with him, sometimes I think if he were more…her type, the two would start dating as other children do," Sumdac spoke and Cody flushed, embarrassed to realize she had zoned out. She nodded her head dumbly, taking another sip of tea, only to realize it was empty, and she sighed, setting the cup down.

"Well I really do appreciate this job, Professor Sumdac, I-I can't begin to tell you how happy I am you picked me for it," she smiled down at the small man and he smiled almost tiredly back.

"Well you did have the most impressive resume, I _must _say, and I can only have the best working on my friend," Sumdac nodded. Cody smiled weakly once more.

An impressive resume that was all a load of bunk. The only thing that was honest on it had been her degree at Leyard University, which was a prestigious school, and an old school that had been around for at least a century. It had been located in England, and for as beautiful as she knew the country was, the entire experience there was a blur to her, the eight years spent in those halls getting her Masters seemed so long ago, more as if she had witnessed it through the eyes of another than actually gone herself. She knew that time had been stressful though. The rest on her resume was nothing more than a line of fibs. She hadn't worked at any of the places or in any of the universities listed, and she hadn't worked on most of the projects she'd fibbed about. She didn't know any of the most recent theories and a lot of the jargon was completely beyond her.

Still, Cody did know a few things. One was that Sumdac was rather gullible, and another was how to fix machines. Cody had never had a problem with mechanics. She didn't even recall ever learning how to work with machines, but it came to her with ease. She had fixed every car she had ever owned and when household appliances broke she never threw them away. Her work ranged from blenders to the most elaborate and advanced of computers and it had landed her a fast and momentarily cushy job or two, but things never seemed to last long enough. Admittedly, she had never witness anything as advanced as the Autobots, but her few minutes in that lab with the one that lay within had already begun to give her plenty of ideas, and her fingers were itching to get to work.

"Well, maybe I should go ahead and get start—"

"Oh posh! He's been in there waiting for that body for fifty years, he can wait another night! I'll not have my new lab assistant working herself to death on the first night, believe me he can be very pushy once you actually start working," Sumdac huffed, shaking his head. "No, no, not at all! Ah! A better idea!" He smiled up at her cheerfully, pushing himself off of his seat and Cody rose to follow him. "You, I and my daughter will have a nice, big meal tonight! My treat! A sort of celebration at having good help!"

Cody opened her mouth immediately to reject but the man was already guiding her to the door of his living quarters, shaking his head.

"I'll not hear any 'no's. Now you go to your quarters, get cleaned up, dressed nice, and when Sari returns we shall all have a wonderful dinner on the town!"

Cody frowned helplessly but nodded as she was pushed toward the direction of her quarters, waving slightly down at the man.

"A-all right, that sounds lovely," she murmured, turning down the hall and moving forward obediently. Personally, she was beginning to wonder if Sumdac was afraid of his friend down in his lab, and she couldn't entirely blame him if he was.

She took the elevator up two floors and pulled the new set of keys out of her pocket, looking quietly down at the white, plastic cards, both her access into Sumdac Towers and her room. She supposed she should get Steven a pass to the towers while she was at it, that way he could at least visit her. Her brow creased some as she slid the keys into the readers at the side of the door, a robotic voice chirping emotionlessly: "Access granted! Welcome home Miss Rinth!" Cody ducked her head and pushed into the apartment.

It was an impressive and moderately furnished place, two bedrooms and two baths, not that she knew of any roommates that she would be having. The expansive living room was connected to an equally impressive kitchen filled to the brim with high tech, top of the line appliances. She closed the door behind her and locked it, moving for her bedroom where her few suitcases rested, still unpacked.

Go to a nice dinner? Sumdac looked like he would want to overspend, he had the money to do so after all, and Cody knew for a fact she didn't have _anything _nice enough for a night of overspending. She opening up the suitcase with her clothes, digging around inside for a party dress she might've once owned, or had she thrown that away? She paused at the sound of a light buzzing, standing up straight and looking around, spotting a tiny insect to the far side of the room land on the wall.

Fuck. A bug. She hated bugs.

She wrinkled her nose at it and brought up her right leg, hopping and balancing half hazardously on her left foot as she tried to get her shoe off, watching the fly studiously, waiting for it to buzz off and disappear, but it didn't move, seeming to watch her as well. She managed to get her heel off and tossed it across the room, hitting the wall with surprising accuracy, but the small creature flew off quickly, buzzing around the room and she twirled to follow it, before she lost track of the small creature and the sound of its movements vanished with it.

Cody huffed, before digging into her belongings once more, unable to find said dress. So what _did _someone wear to a fancy, over priced dinner? The woman looked blandly down at the mess in her suitcase, before weakly picking out a white sweater and a cleaner pair of slacks. She wasn't cut out for fancy, or much money. She just needed this job to get by.

She wandered into the bathroom, pulling her dark sweater up over her head and letting her dreadlocks loose, freezing when she heard the obnoxious buzzing again, turning sharply and spotting said fly following her into the bathroom. She watched it carefully once more as it landed on the wall, finally noticing the silver tint on the creature, her brow creasing curiously. A robotic fly? Was Sumdac spying on her? She erked in shock, taking a small step back from the fly and snatching at her sweater again, holding it up to her chest. She knew the man was single but he didn't strike her the perverted voyeuristic type!

The tiny bug crept over the mirror, still watching her. She hesitated, and then leaned slightly closer, studying it. It was probably the size of her thumbnail, a tiny round body with a bright red eye watching her as thoughtfully as she did it. Cody chewed her lower lip, and then her hand shot out, slamming over the tiny bug, careful not to crush it. She felt its tiny wings beat against her palm rhythmically, then stop, simply waiting for its chance of freedom. She slid her fingertips over the glass until she had the small creature in her grip, turning to lean against her bathroom sink, holding the small robot up to her face.

It squirmed, wings buzzing once more and then falling still. Cody tilted it to and fro, before her free hand shot out, dropping the sweater it had been holding. She instantly dug her nail into the small shell, spotting the minute crease in the silver body, and carefully slipped it open, eyeing the fine wires within. The bug went to buzzing once more and she tugged at a wire, separating it, watching as the wings fell still.

It was fine engineering, whatever it was. Highly delicate work. She wandered from the bathroom into her bedroom again, digging into one of her suitcases with one hand and holding the small 'bot with the other. She pulled out a fine tip screwdriver and began to work quietly on the tiny spy, piecing it apart little by little and spreading its parts out on the covers of the bed, studying them curiously. There was nothing that resembled a recording device. In fact there wasn't even a camera inside to send and receive images, just the fine wiring like the veins in a body, and the eye. Cody huffed, resting her chin in her hand as she looked down at the hundreds of materials that lay across her bedspread, chewing her lower lip.

Highly delicate work indeed.

She glanced at the clock, seeing only an hour had passed since she began disassembling. If she worked quickly, she should have more than enough time to reassemble as well. Cody smiled and picked up the little red eye, and began her work anew, legs crossed and bent quietly over the tiny bug.

She wondered how long it would take to reassemble the fellow in the private lab. Probably a good deal longer than it would the bug. The work that had already been done on the new body didn't look like much at all and she wondered how long the Autobot had been sitting waiting for Sumdac to finish, or to at least accomplish anything worthy of notice. Isaac wasn't entirely an idiot though, she was positive of that. If he'd had something as highly advanced as just the Autobot's head, then of course he had been able to reverse engineer, and to become the big money-making man he was today, he would've been wise to spend more focus on making new things _from _the Autobot, rather than fix the Autobot.

It was a shame, and an awful thing to do. Course, creepy as that 'bot below was, maybe she couldn't blame the Professor. Cody shook her head with another sigh, brow creased slightly as she carefully reconnected some wires, her fingers working quickly and smoothly on the little machine. The bright red eye suddenly took on life once more and seemed to study her, and she studied it too.

"Welcome back to the living," she murmured, tilting her head to the side, some wiry dreads falling over her shoulder and about the various pieces and parts. "You can go back to your creepy staring and annoying buzzing." The small bug actually had the audacity to have an air of annoyance and she grinned some, reconnecting a few more wires and the wings gave off a loud buzz, its tiny legs seeming to stretch, before it settled into her palm cozily once more, content not to fly off it seemed.

Cody jumped at the knock on her apartment door, turning her head to look at the time, gasping in surprise to see that evening had approached far faster than she intended.

"Cody?"

Isaac. Christ.

"O-one second!" she called, scrambling out of bed and into the bathroom. She grabbed at her clothes again and quickly began changing. "I-I'm not descent yet! I'll be there in a moment!"

The bug sat on her bed, watching her quietly still, the red eye flashing now and then as it followed her motions, taking in very minute detail. Cody stumbled out of the bathroom a few moments later, pulling her dreadlocks back into a ponytail, pausing at the door to glance back at the small fly.

"You still planning to be here when I get back?" she asked, narrowing her eyes curiously. If it was spying for Sumdac, that didn't make much sense, considering Sumdac was right outside her apartment, which meant he had no need to spy and he probably wasn't the one controlling it either. She frowned some, tilting her head. The fly watched her a moment more, then actually settled down into the covers over her bed, wings giving another buzz. "Stellar. I'll fix up the rest of you when I get back."

Cody turned and exited the apartment, forcing a smile down at Isaac and his child.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews =3 Here is the next chapter, where the plot thickens! *Dramatic flourish* _

_Edit: Editing a little bit of the chapter, nothing too dramatic =)  
_

_---  
_

Prowl studied the young red head from across the street through the window of the restaurant, the Autobot resting in his alt vehicle mode. She was interesting, and he wasn't particularly sure as to why he found that so. It wasn't necessarily that the woman was overly intelligent. In fact, that was not at all the case. When he had tried discussing mechanic theories with her she had flushed and fumbled, awkwardly dodging the conversation and soon allowing herself to _too _easily and eagerly be pulled into a drab conversation with Bulkhead about the color of her sweater. It also wasn't necessarily that she was beautiful or charming, because she greatly lacked most social graces and seemed exceptionally uncomfortable in highly populated settings, or any populated settings at all for that matter. The girl didn't seem to understand herself or those around her.

At first Prowl had theorized she claimed some sort of mental disorder, one that made her uneasy and useless around people but alone and with her one talent, she was brilliant. She didn't seem mentally unstable though, but all attempts at actually scanning her had come up unsuccessful and he couldn't get a reading of her. Unusual, but not dreadfully uncommon he had found. Some humans were just difficult to scan. Sari was one of them.

There was something different about this woman though. Different and curious.

He let out a soft sigh, the noise no more than a tiny growl of his engine, if that. She was eating with the Sumdacs at a very high class restaurant, high class obvious in the fact humans were actually serving humans, instead of the mindless drones Sumdac had created, and there was a dress code that Cody probably wouldn't have passed, except for the fact she was Isaac's guest. Even wearing the nice sweater and slacks that she did, Cody was standing out, quite a bit. The dreadlocks did not help her at all, and the woman was vastly over seasoning her food. The soup had been filled with at least three tablespoons of salt, a frightfully high level of sodium intake.

The conversation had far too long been centered in the weather, which didn't bother him greatly, but for such 'intelligent' minds he wondered why they didn't converse on more intellectually stimulating topics. Sari was with them though, and the girl did have trouble focusing. The topic at hand wasn't _necessarily _an issue. Prowl quite fancied the weather, how unpredictable it was, how constant it could be. It was ever the predator, just as he liked to be. Peaceful, and yet so fiercely deadly.

"Did you have fun with your friend?" Cody asked Sari, offering a fake and polite little smile. Sari nodded her head cheerfully, and instantly a long stream of fairly one-sided conversation began on the subject of Bee, and how surprisingly good he was at ice skating. Surprising indeed, ice skating required a level of grace Prowl personally thought Bee was incapable of. Well, the youth had to be good at something other than being an irritation to almost all those around him, Prowl supposed. Congratulations to him.

There was something else Cody wished to discus, he could tell. The woman had been distracted all night long, usually drifting entirely out of the conversation, as she was beginning to do now, her green eyes glazing over and she settled her chin comfortably in her hand, drumming her fingers against her upper lip.

She was somewhat attractive, he supposed. Not necessarily by human standards, but certainly by Cybertronian. Her build was firm but almost exaggerated, her shoulders a bit too narrow which made her bust appear larger than it was. Her hips were wide and claimed a fairly dramatic sway the woman didn't even seem aware of. She walked like an uncomfortable seductress, like a virgin 'bot on the first night. Her lips were endearingly full too, kissable. Prowl huffed, his body giving off a firm shudder to bring himself back to focus.

Delectable in her inelegance as she was, she was still human, and Prowl didn't take to humans like Bumblebee seemed to be doing. The 'bot's relationship with the little Sari was growing somewhat unhealthy. Species aside, the female was still _only _a child.

"So where are you from Miss Rinth?" Sari asked curiously around a mouthful of bread. Cody flushed and looked off to the side.

Ah, hesitation. Was the subject of home touchy? Had the girl been abused in her past? It was a sob story that would be expected, abuse seemed common among humans compared to 'bots. Prowl studied a good deal of human culture and saw that child abuse was frightfully frequent. 'Bots would almost never abuse their sparklings, but sparklings were also a good deal harder to come by than human children. Humans bred like rats.

"Uhm, well," Cody whispered, picking at a dreadlock. "Not far, I suppose. I-I went to Leyard University after all…"

"You've already told us about that!" Sari huffed, leaning forward on the table and setting Cody with an openly suspicious look, eyes narrowed and her slender, dark brows pinched together slightly. Ah, young Sari, he doubted she would ever master the art of subtlety. "Where were you _born_?"

"Born?" Cody blinked and then faked a little smile, tilting her head. "Not far."

"Where?"

"I'm afraid I need some air, it's so stuffy in here," Cody laughed gently and rose from her seat suddenly, clinging to the napkin she had begun to ring fitfully in her hands.

"Is everything all right Miss Rinth?" Isaac asked, looking up at her through his lidded gaze and Cody nodded, laughing gently and pushing back from the table, stumbling against her chair slightly. She flushed and struggled to grin, turning as she did.

"Need air."

She was out of the restaurant immediately. Already Sumdac was chiding his child on pestering his new assistant; after all he couldn't _just _replace the woman after what information she had already been presented with. What information that was, Prowl wasn't sure, but he supposed it probably wasn't nearly as important as Sumdac was making it out to be. He turned attention to Cody as she moved outside the restaurant and to the side of it where no windows were. She leaned against the smooth wall, resting her hand against her brow and rubbing gently, her cheeks flushed and she seemed out of breath.

He transformed into his bipedal state, moving through the shadows to approach her, not wanting to be spotted by any patrons of the restaurant. If they saw him, they would swamp him like starving animals, like insects to a carcass. They were ravenous for him and the Autobots, for their celebrities. Prowl scowled. He did not want to be a celebrity. He simply wanted to keep the All Spark and life safe. Keep life safe, but not necessarily be around its loudest and most obnoxious form: humans.

"It's warm in there," he stated bluntly, when he was in distance of the woman that he could keep his voice low. She jumped and looked up at him, eyes wide, and the lamp light hit her romantically well, accenting with her face with chiaroscuro. He scowled at her.

"Yes," she stated. "I met you earlier today, didn't I? Prowl, right?"

"Yes," he confirmed, and then they were resting in silence, companionable silence that came with a shocking amount of ease. She didn't seem to need conversation, nor did the hush bother her, which was pleasing. Prowl could never stand the way Bumblebee constantly needed noise to feel at peace with the world around him. There were so many beautiful sounds surrounding them, and yet Bee felt it wasn't enough, certainly not loud enough to satisfy his possibly deaf hearing units.

"I don't see why where I'm born is so important," Cody suddenly whispered and he looked down at her curiously as their silence was broken, tilting his head.

"A place of origin seems very significant to your kind."

"I-it's supposed to dictate how I behave, how I feel about things. It's my status, m-my hopes and dreams. It's not right," she whispered, scowling moodily down at the ground. "Why should it matter where I'm from? It _shouldn't_. What matters is where I am _now_." She looked up at him with wide, heated eyes. "Where are you from? Another planet, but it doesn't matter! What matters is that you're here now. What matters is what you're doing _now_!"

"Where were you born?"

The woman flinched at his words, before her red brows creased, irritation marring her face, and he reached out and set his large hand against her cheek, held it in his palm as carefully as he would a butterfly. The anger slowly drained from her face, settling into a tired weakness.

"I won't judge you," he promised, keeping his stoic mask in place as he tried to lighten his voice to sound somewhat friendlier. It came out in its regular careful monotony. Friendliness was simply not a talent of his, compared to Bumblebee, who made friends with such ease. "After all, I know so little of this planet or its geography. I suppose I have been lacking in my studies."

"Ireland," the woman huffed, her hands once more wringing at the napkin she had brought out with her. He watched the motions, the tightening and loosening, the twisting and coiling of the helpless fabric. Slowly he reached out and caught her hands, compared their dainty size to his own. They were very small, soft, the fingers nimble and slender but surprisingly long even for her tiny hand size. Her voice came out a thick whisper as she looked down at their hands. "I-I was born in Ireland, I know that I was."

"I believe you," he stated openly.

"What do you know about Ireland?"

"Absolutely nothing."

It was the truth. He hadn't heard of it once. No one spoke of it either. They were all too preoccupied with the little world around them to care about something outside of their personal bubble. He knew he wasn't much different from them, but he was different enough. He was concerned with Cybertron, with the All Spark, what was going on in Ireland was of absolutely no concern to him compared to those two great focuses.

"I'm glad," she frowned, resting her head back against the wall of the building, her gaze drifting off as he let her hands slip through his grasp. They fell to rest at her sides, the napkin dangling from one.

"Are you looking forward to your time in Sumdac Towers?"

Was he actually trying to make awkward conversation? What an embarrassment. Prowl ducked his head slightly, studying the cracks and creases in the ground. There was a pebble near the left of his foot, and he nudged at it slightly, before adjusting his foot and nudging it back to its original position. Cody seemed just as uncomfortable suddenly too, contemplating her napkin, twisting and turning it between nervous, graceless hands.

"I suppose so. It's a job, a-and my boyfriend quite admires Sumdac."

"Ah, you are in a relationship," Prowl replied lightly. Cody shrugged, gazing almost fitfully at the ground now. Another touchy subject. This girl did not care for herself being the focus of conversation at all.

"Yes. We met in college."

"An intelligent mate then."

"Mate?" She blinked and looked up at him, eyes brighter.

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to offend. All I mean is that many sentient beings in a relationship look for someone that claims a particular feature they find attractive. For you I would assume that feature is intelligence, considering your degree."

"No," she frowned, shaking her head. Prowl tilted his head, studying the minute changes in her, the tiny increase in heart rate, the dilating and strange _brightness _of her pupils, the spark in them, before they dulled once more. "No. I want someone _real_."

"Real?" Prowl asked, shaking his head in confusion. "Logically all males you encounter are quite real. You may touch me," he held out his hand, but she didn't move to take it, which was just as well, it only posed as an example to his point. "I am as real as you are."

"No, I mean, real as in sincere. He has to be sincere."

"Is your boyfriend not sincere?"

"Steven's sincere, he's just…" she shrugged, shaking her head and looking off to the side, flustered once more.

"I'm sorry," Prowl looked away from her. "I'm prying." He didn't know if he meant to be or not.

"Yes you are," she murmured, slumping against the wall a bit more. She seemed ill and Prowl tried to scan her body for any real changes, perhaps something he should be concerned about, but he couldn't get readings on her. Irritating, and confusing still. "I suppose I should get back inside. I'm sure Professor Sumdac will wonder if I'm gone too long."

"Yes," Prowl replied blandly, scowling at nothing. He wanted to pry more, despite himself. He was curious of her, as to why he couldn't get a reading, why she was so delightful in her gracelessness, her upfront discomfort with the world around her. "Yes. He might worry."

She didn't move right away, looking up at him unsurely beneath dark lashes, a soft flush on her cheeks from her sudden upset. He tilted his head, wondering if perhaps he should do something foolish, like kiss her. He wasn't sure if 'bots and humans could really kiss and achieve the same level of pleasures as was expected between same species couplings. He didn't move though, and the heat of the moment was cooled by a rising breeze, some leaves scuttling gently across the street beside them. She smiled unsurely and then turned, moving back to the doors of the restaurant. He watched her go, the virginal sway of her hips. A dreadlock had fallen loose from her ponytail and dangled like a fiery cable to the middle of her back, moving to and fro as her hips did.

---

Megatron watched through the small pocketbot as Cody reentered her room later that evening, looking strained and tired, her dreads falling in weak clumps about her face. She paused when she spotted the electronic bug still waiting on her bed for her. He hadn't remained right there the entire time, he had moved through the spot, inspecting her belongings curiously, and left a bit of a mess in his wake, moving one thing or another aside to get further into her various bags, which he'd left opened and scattered about her floor. He was curious of this woman. The most fascinating thing was how quickly she managed to dismantled the bug, and then rebuilt it again. Even more stunning was that the bot seemed only more efficient. It moved faster, reacted better, the hearing was improved as was vision.

Perhaps this woman would do him much good.

He watched as she looked around at the mess he'd kindly left in her room, irritation flickering brightly on her face as she settled hot green eyes back on the bug.

"If you are a spy, you're bloody awful at being discreet."

He didn't care. He wasn't a spy, per say. Just investigating. What's more, why should he waste his valuable time picking up _her _things? Even if he did have far too much time currently on his hands, he was _not _a maid.

The woman went about snatching her clothes and belongings from the floor, depositing them carelessly on her bed, Megatron having to maneuver the bug quickly out of the way before it was hit and bruised by her silly belongings.

"If you are a man, Steven is going to be _very _upset with you! What's this? My panties, really? You had to go through my panties?" Cody had her hands on her hips and was yelling down at the bug. Megatron scowled slightly in irritation. If the pocketbot had any weapons, he would have fired them, at least in warning. Yet, this woman had been far too good with the pocketbot to risk ruining her building him a new and possibly better body. But scaring her into obedience didn't sound like such an awful idea either. She was waving a pair of silky undergarments at him, hands clenched into fists. "Y-you're as frustrating as everyone else around here!"

Suddenly she was on the bed, holding her head tightly, eyes closed. She looked drained once more, and Megatron frowned in curiosity, creeping toward her. Everyone else? That was not such a shock. Everyone else on this miserable planet was _highly _frustrating and _exceedingly _annoying. She had no idea. She hadn't been trapped on this planet for countless years dealing with them unwillingly.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to get upset," Cody whispered, gazing exhausted forward at the ground, her brows drawn together slightly. "I just wish everyone would be quiet and stop asking questions. I wish they would just let me be me and get over it. All I want to do is get to work on the Autobot in the lab. That's all I want right now. To work and to be left alone."

At least she knew where priorities lay. Megatron would have no problem at all letting her work on the body. She was more than welcome to lose herself to the world if it meant finishing what needed to be finished.

"I just don't see why everyone has to give a damn, you know?" She glanced toward the bug, smirking vaguely. "Can't we just _live_?"

Megatron sighed in irritation. Without a doubt, all he wanted to do was _live _again, preferably with two legs, a torso, two arms and two hands that would be wrapped around Starscream's traitorous neck.

He watched the woman as she went about picking up her things again, before depositing all of her bags into the corner of the room. She changed into night clothes silently, her back turned to him, and despite himself he studied her shape thoughtfully. Not perfect by any means, awkwardly built in fact by human standards, but it certainly claimed the dramatic shapes of a Cybertronian body. Had she been a 'bot, she would have been at least worthy of a quite a few looks in his glory days, and perhaps even a frequent place in his berth. She was human though, and he'd yet to find a human that was worth a place in his berth.

The woman flicked lightly at the bug as she pulled down the covers of her bed, but the gesture lacked any malice and he buzzed away from her, settling on the wall and watching as she curled into the sheets and comforter, closing her eyes and giving herself up to human sleep.

---

Prowl sat quietly before the computer at the Autobot base, the ship hidden well beneath Lake Erie. Ratchet was quietly napping in another room and it was just he and the veteran 'bot, which was fine. Ratchet was the gruff sort, but knew when peace and solitude was wanted, and generally gave it, compared to Bee, who claimed the irritating tendency to see that solitude was greatly desired, but seemed to think solitude had to involve his clumsy, noisy self as well. Prowl hesitated in his motions, his hands poised elegantly over the keyboard, but he was uncertain.

He had told Cody how he knew nothing of Ireland, and that seemed to be a relief to her, something she approved of, was even thankful for. Yet others of this planet knew something about Ireland that made her uncomfortable, something so uncomfortable the woman even avoided bringing it up in discussion of her birthplace. She would rather run from a restaurant than admit her home of origin. He tilted his head down, taking a deep, unneeded breath. It was possibly not his place to be nosy, but he was curious, and he rarely denied his curiosity.

And why should he?

For some human woman that couldn't stand to be in a crowded room, that hated discussion with her as the main topic? For some human woman that seemed out of place in the world and held more respect for silence and quiet work than she did for tense discussion?

They were irritatingly similar.

Prowl sighed and then entered the database and pulled up the 'Internet,' opening a search engine. His motions paused a moment, before he typed 'Ireland,' and waited for what popped up.

Very little did.

There were only a few pages on the history of Ireland covering drab little things such as its discovery to the cultures that had lived within. The history wasn't necessarily fascinating, quite the same to other countries in fact. He moved faster as the information became slightly more modern, bleeding into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to the colleges and the cities and the people to what a beautiful island it had been.

He blinked and tilted his head.

Had.

Had been.

Past tense.

Curious.

He moved faster through the few pages offered, optics widening slightly behind his visor. It appeared Ireland was no longer populated after famine and disease broke out through the country, leaving much of it a dead waste of mass graveyards and unpopulated cites. After the famine of 2046, people began to leave Ireland and technology refused to flourish in the green land. It was barren and had been so for at least forty to fifty years.

Prowl frowned, his optics narrowing behind the visor.

It wasn't to say it was impossible that Cody had been born there. Perhaps the woman's parents held on to the dead land. He knew of 'bots that still clung desperately to ruined parts of Cybertron where the Autobot Decepticon war had greatly taken its toll on the planet. They would rather stay in the ruins of a once prosperous city and slink away as their fellow brethren had to more populated cities, to bigger targets. Pictures suggested otherwise though. The land was wasted, grey and empty now and it seemed it was hard to go a mile without running into a graveyard. Who would truly want to raise a child there?

He exited from the pages, soundlessly gazing at the blank search engine that seemed to gaze silently and accusingly back at him. Cody was surely no more than twenty. She didn't look at all an older age and certainly didn't seem to have much life experience. He took a deep breath, closing his optics.

He should not snoop, he should not meddle, he should _not_.

He opened up the international database, where all identities and records were kept and had been for quite a long time. It was, by law, kept private, for protection of the identities it held within, but Prowl had found it easy to hack and it remained easy still. He entered Cody's name and watched the various identities that came up and photographs offered. He quickly began to scroll, fingers moving rapidly as his eyes hungrily studied each image offered to him. He froze when he spotted hers and clicked on her information, his system freezing over a moment, before beginning to race.

Fascinating.

Cody Rinth had been born in Waterford, Ireland, in November of 1990 and had been declared dead after disappearing on a backpacking trip through the country in August of 2011.

So what was the woman doing here, centuries later?


	3. Chapter 3

_Just needed to take a break from "Runner" so I figured I could work on this one for a little bit. =)_

Megatron looked toward the doors as they opened, expecting Isaac to enter, for the man was almost always in his private lab working on something or other that didn't include him, and was somewhat surprised to see Cody walk inside instead. It wasn't a displeasure at all. If she was here, it most likely meant it had something to do with him, and most likely a new body as well. Still, he was shocked to see her awake so early. He'd left the woman alone the remainder of the night, content to spy on the Autobots, hoping that perhaps they would let slip the secret location of the All Spark, but they were careful with their words, irritatingly so, and the Prowl fellow and Ratchet had gone off to another base, one he was having a good deal of difficulty locating, considering it was beneath the water, and the pocketbots that Isaac created were in no way whatsoever waterproof. The Autobots in general didn't seem terribly intelligent, but they knew when to keep their vocal processors shut on certain issues, the current issue being the one thing he wanted to know most.

He looked over Cody curiously. The woman was dressed less professionally today than she had been yesterday and he scowled at her slightly. The jeans she wore hugged her hips, and the wifebeater had obviously seen better days, full of holes, some of which even showed the white bra the woman wore beneath. She was nursing a cup of coffee that smelled heavily of milk and even more heavily of sugar, and he wondered why she didn't merely skip the coffee and go straight to the additives.

She paused when she saw him watching her, blinking slightly, her green eyes flashing to the clock, and he followed her gaze. It was three in the morning, incredibly early for most fleshlings to be awake. He once more focused on her again, speaking dryly.

"I do not recharge much. Without a body, the cycles are less necessary."

"Oh, I see," she blushed and nodded, setting her cup of coffee carefully away from anything mechanical that could be damaged by an accidental spill.

"Are you here to begin work on my body?"

"Actually, I-I really just came in to figure out the lab and where Professor Sumdac keeps everything," she rubbed at the back of her neck. "He didn't really show me around in here much."

"I noticed…"

There was a long pause between the two and he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep the woman uncomfortably waiting for his permission to begin the work that needed to be done, or if he should say something to continue their dull little conversation. Dull, but admittedly it had been a long time since he'd held a conversation with someone other than Sumdac, and watching the woman as he had been, she at least held a small level of common sense and intelligence. He went with the latter choice.

"You are awake early."

"I couldn't sleep," she admitted, and the tension was gone from her body. She picked up her coffee and took a sip, and then begun to move around the lab, flicking on lights here and there as she went. Professor Sumdac kept it irritatingly dark in the lab, and Megatron never understood why. Didn't light seem _necessary _to help focus on the work at hand, rather than strain the eyes to even see what one was doing? While he did not detest the dark, a little light now and then was certainly not unwelcomed by him either. "It must get damn boring in here."

"You have no idea," he drawled, glancing toward the main computer. True, he kept himself occupied enough studying the world around him, plotting ways to kill the fleshlings and Sumdac, but one could entertain themselves with thoughts of genocide of the human race and of conquering Cybertron for so long, before one got quite bored again.

"Well I hope to get you out of here as soon as possible." Her tone was refreshingly sincere, compared to Sumdac, who promised to get as much work done as fast as he humanly could, but his humanly standards always fell predictably flat, and Megatron would watch an entire miserable day go by waiting for the man to work and seeing nothing progress forward. "It'll take time, without a doubt, but I've already got a few things to go off of, and Sumdac's at least gotten a little bit of work done."

She looked toward said measly work. There was a basic frame set up, somewhat taller than his original body, but Megatron would never snub the idea of being a few feet taller. Cody let out a soft breath, shaking her head, her hands coming up to rest on her round hips.

"Awful you've been in here that long and that's all the Professor's gotten done. Bloody awful."

"Hopefully you will prove somewhat more productive," he said, and kept his tone purposefully doubtful. The woman caught the challenge and turned to look at him, a smirk settling on full lips as she raised a brow at him, a spark in her eyes that he'd not seen yet.

"You sound cynical."

"You _are_ only human. Certainly not a Cybertronian medic that would have even the most basic knowledge in how the body should work."

"Tsk! Such little faith! There is Ratchet with the Autobots here you know, I can learn plenty from him," she sniffed, once more looking about at the tools Sumdac owned, spotting a rolling table and moving it closer to where his new body rested, beginning to pile a few things here and there on it. He narrowed his eyes at the mention of the Autobot, not at all wanting his secret revealed.

"If you must, be discreet. I do not want my…brothers…to learn of my state."

Cody nodded her head and gave a big stretch, looking thoughtfully up at his new body, her eyes dark and far away momentarily. She was deciding where to begin, he could tell, which meant she would begin work very soon. Good. He couldn't bear waiting longer and, despite her earlier words, it appeared she couldn't either. The woman finally moved toward the body and to the scaffolding about it with a portable blowtorch, climbing into the scaffolding and raising it to where the neck rested.

He watched in silence as morning came with cold rain and snow. The sound of it beating against the side of the building was soothing as he eyed Cody.

Through the hours she had moved quickly, surprisingly so for a human woman. She had broken into a slight sweat during her long efforts and time spent so close to the heat of the blow torch. The base scent of her was not nearly as unappealing as it was for most humans. There was a naturally spicy and electrical smell to her, something that reminded him strongly of Cybertron and returned to him the nostalgic feeling of home, before his plans for conquest were ruined. The young woman's sweat had soaked through her wifebeater, leaving clear stains in the fabric. She wiped at her forehead, leaning forward to closer inspect her work near the junction of his new body's knee. He studied her work as well, pleased, and finally glanced toward the clock, optic flashing.

She had come _quite _far in a matter of only six hours. The woman was tireless and had, thus far, only stopped at one point to turn on music, asking him first if the noise would bother him. It did not. He found the various new stimulants pleasing. She was different from Sumdac in many ways and as such was entirely refreshing, a breath of clean and pure air against the smog that was Isaac Sumdac. She worked hard and efficiently, she remained focus even as she sang along with her music, albeit quite out of tune most of the time. At points she even started idle discussions with him, but frequently it would fall away to the sounds of her music again, the two merely gazing on in her work.

She didn't seem too bothered with his constant attention either, unlike Sumdac, who grew very uneasy if he even suspected Megatron was watching. The girl was lost in her work, and he loved it.

Cody jumped slightly when the screen of the main computer came on, Isaac's face appearing on it. He was holding a cup of coffee, freshly shaved and dressed for the morning. Megatron glared at the man, already knowing what Isaac held was an interruption from the flow Cody had gotten into it.

"Miss Rinth! I was wondered where you had disappeared off to, you were not in your apartment," Isaac huffed, looking appraisingly over the work she had done on the body. "I see you have been busy."

"Very much so, Professor," she smiled, turning in the scaffolding to face him fully, wiping at her brow once more and then setting the blow torch down. "Is there something you need?"

"You have a call," Isaac smiled slightly, tilting his head. "It's a young man."

"Oh," Cody replied, her voice lacking in much luster.

"Perhaps she can take it later, Professor," Megatron interjected, the man frowning slightly at the suggestion and shaking his head immediately. Megatron bit down on his temper, not daring to lose it. It was growing harder to do by the day though. He knew his Decepticons were close. He wasn't sure where, let alone if they were even in the system, but he had been sending out a signal for quite a while now, and he could feel their presence drawing nearer and nearer. He _needed _a body.

"Not at all. One phone call will not greatly influence the amount of time until you get your new body, my friend, and I will not have this young woman blocking out her life for a mere project."

"Yes, of course," Megatron growled, narrowing his optics slightly. "You are right, my _friend_." A mere project. Megatron was no _mere project_.

"I'll take it in my apartmen—"

"Oh, no, no. Just darken the lights again, Miss Rinth and I can bring it up on this screen," Isaac supplied, smiling cheerfully. The woman blinked and tilted her head, opening her mouth to argue, but seemed to realize the futility of such. She passed Megatron a look and he was well aware of what her expression said: This bastard's pushy.

Pushy, indeed.

She did as told, climbing out of the scaffolding and turning off the lights of the lab, leaving them once more in gloom, except for the cool glow of the computer screen. He watched from the shadows as a handsome, youthful face came up on the screen, a young man with finely cut blond hair and a very white smile. He brightened momentarily at the sight of Cody, and then blinked and wrinkled his nose, tilting his head slightly.

"You're a mess," he stated.

"I've been working hard," Cody replied.

"I bet, you sure look like it." The man's grin turned playfully lewd and he leaned closer to the screen, wiggling his brows at her. "Dirty little girl."

"Now's not the best time, Steven," she flushed vibrantly, ducking her head and looking to her feet some. The back of her neck reddened slightly with the rest of her face and Megatron couldn't help but feel amused at her reaction, against his rising irritation toward the male. This boy was inconveniencing him, greatly, and all for the sake of flirting with Cody. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Yeah. I was wondering… is that your new project you're working on?" he asked suddenly, changing topic and maneuvering slightly, trying to see what exactly Cody might be laboring over in the gloom, but Megatron was quite confident he was well hidden entirely. The boy probably saw a hint at the new body, but not much else.

"Perhaps," Cody huffed, her brow creasing in her own irritation. "What was it?"

"I wanted to get together, get some coffee, and maybe go see a movie. We could stop by the lake afterward. You wanna?"

"I don't really feel like going to the lake," she sighed, staring vaguely off to the side, reaching up to brush some of her dreads behind her ear.

"Oh come on. We don't have to do the lake. How about we christen your new apartment?"

The male was referring to sex. Megatron resisted the very strong urge to roll his optics. This had gone on quite long enough. He activated his control of the lab, sending a shock of energy toward the computer. It began to get static, Cody frowning in confusion and leaning forward slightly toward her own camera, tilting her head.

"Steven?"

"Cody, I'm losing you," Steven raised his voice so she could hear. He tapped at his own camera, before smiling and shaking his head. "Don't worry. I'll meet you at Sumdac Towers in an hour, okay?"

"No, Steven, I have to work. I—"

"That'll work? Good! See you then!"

His camera blinked out of life and Cody was left staring at a dark screen, emotions flashing across the woman's face rapidly, difficult to catch each one. Megatron gazed on, annoyed with the boy as well. He looked to Cody as she turned and walked back toward the scaffolding, her brow creased slightly.

"The boy seems to not know when to take 'no' for an answer," he mused aloud, and Cody blinked and turned to look at him, as if realizing for the first time he was there.

"No, he doesn't." She scowled, looking up at the body she had been working on, and then down at herself and her present state. "I-I hate that." The words were harsh and the anger ugly on her face, before she seemed to recognize her mood and she flushed and smoothed her features, taking on an emotionless, doll-like complexion.

"Perhaps it would be better to sever connections with him, to alleviate these disturbances."

"No, I couldn't do that," she laughed bitterly and shook her head, pulling out a chair from a desk and flopping down into it gracelessly, legs splayed out before her slightly and head tilted back. She gazed blandly up at the high ceiling above them, chewing her lower lip. "He's okay. He's nice. Intelligent. My kind of guy."

"Really?"

This Steven automatically didn't look like Cody's 'kind of guy,' but perhaps Megatron was jumping to conclusions, and it really didn't matter either way. Her relationships were of no importance to him. What was of importance was the fact that she could be getting a good deal of work done on him, and she would not now, all because of her idiot male. He would have to _wait_ for their silly little date to be over. He would have to wait for the male to sooth his raging hormones with Cody. She would probably rest blandly beneath him on her bed with her legs emptily spread as this Steven thrust, unskilled, into her, his face pinched up and hers void of emotion. It would be a pitiful sight, a pitiful experience, and he had to _wait _for it all to be finished before they could resume.

This would not suffice.

---

Cody pulled her dreads back into a ponytail and then tugged the clean sweater on, looking toward the robotic bug sitting quietly on her wall, watching her with its blinking eye. It had come back from wherever it'd disappeared off to last night and had been, more or less, well behaved the entire time, though to say it had tried hindering her getting ready to meet Steven would have been an understatement. The creature had even gone so far as to snatch her bra from her at one point and make a run for it, which itself led to a long chase around the apartment.

She could've gotten another bra, but that was beside the point. It was the _principle _of the thing.

And maybe deep down she was trying to procrastinate meeting Steven too.

She sighed as she pulled out her bag of makeup, quietly picking out various face creams and powders and beginning to apply them. She didn't like make up, at all. It was suffocating, sticky. It made her feel disgusting, as if there was something she was hiding, and she couldn't think of a thing. She knew she wasn't the _most _attractive woman, and she didn't have any problems with a little bit of mascara here or there, but Steven seemed to like her really dolled up, and she liked it when Steven was happy, because Steven's happiness was all they really seemed to have in common.

She closed her eyes, thinking back to Prowl's words about him being the preferred mate, and her shoddy reaction. The perfect mate. Of course Steven was. She was supposed to marry him one day, she was sure, because he was her kind of guy, the guy she knew she was supposed to be with, the kind of guy she had always been with. Open and friendly, cheerful, talkative and a charmer. He was good with people and took opportunity by the reins and never let go. What's more, he was intelligent and handsome.

Steven was perfect.

Why did the idea of being with him until death did they part make her feel so sick to her stomach every time though? It was the same way with every man she'd ever been with, ever planned marriage with. In the end, she always ended up chickening out, leaving at the last possible second, terrified of what marriage meant, what bonding in such an intimate way meant. She couldn't bare it.

Steven though. He was _her _kind of man and damnit she couldn't run away anymore. She _wouldn't_.

Furiously, Cody shook all worried thoughts from her head, applying her make up faster and with more determination, shooting the bug a defiant little glare, just _daring _it to slow her down once more. It didn't make a move, simply watching.

She finished applying her makeup, wrinkling her nose at the obviousness of it and at the smooth layer of powder and rouge along her cheeks that crinkled when she pinched up her face. To her, every flaw her face already claimed was only magnified by the presence of the thick creams, not at all concealed the way they should be. She hated wearing so much make up, such a heavy, uncomfortable mask plastered sickly to her face.

Cody turned and looked back at the sudden buzzing, the small 'bot flying forward and settling on her shoulder comfortably, moving along one of her red dreadlocks and wrapping its legs about it. She shook her head, frowning.

"No, absolutely not," she huffed, grabbing for it, but it only disappeared deeper into her hair, curling into the thick locks and avoiding her wild grasps. She turned with her motions, flailing to capture the small 'bot, finally catching the irritating little creature and tugging, but it refused to release the dread it was holding. "Oh _come on_!" She whined, tugging harder, until she felt some small hairs amidst the dread begin to snap from her scalp and she groaned, giving up and letting go of the bug.

It gave a smug buzz and crept near a dread along her shoulder, small legs wrapped about the lock as it relaxed and she sighed, shaking her head.

"Annoying little bugger," she muttered, and it buzzed in return, something that held a tone of an insult, and she scowled down at it, moving for the door of her apartment. "Don't get used to this."

---

Prowl paused in his daily patrol through the city when he spotted Cody across the street in a small café, sitting at a table with a male youth. His engine hummed with curiosity as he studied her, taking in the various changes. She was wearing makeup, for starters, which despite a fancy dinner last night she had failed to do with such gusto, leaving him with the assumption she didn't care for a good deal of makeup, which was fine by him. Make up was just another bizarre human creation. Not necessarily bad, he supposed, in moderation, but humans simply did _not _understand moderation. He hesitated, and then drove across the street, parking beside the small café. The heavy rain and snow from that morning had died away into a gentle snow, the ground covered in cold white powder and ice.

The boy was very nicely dressed, an ironed button up shirt and expensive jeans, his shoes well shined. He talked vibrantly and openly, and continuously, Prowl noted already. Cody seemed far away from the conversation, her chin resting in her hand as she nodded her head with the male's words, laughing gently every now and then when the boy paused. She'd been doing this for quite a long time, it seemed, and Prowl wondered how long, considering the recent discovery of her age. He revved his engines loudly and Cody blinked, looking out the window of the café, spotting him. She politely excused herself from the boy and rose into a stand, walking outside and frowning at him curiously.

"Prowl?"

"Yes," he replied. "I was hoping to speak with you."

"What about?"

"I would rather not discuss it in such a public place. Perhaps we could leave?"

She took an automatic step toward him, then frowned and paused, shaking her head gently, returning to her original position slightly away from him, her shoulders slumping. She stuffed her hands into the pocket of her brown, suede coat, nuzzling into the green scarf around her neck when there was a chilling gust of wind.

"I would, but I'm on a date."

"A date?"

"My boyfriend, Steven," she looked back toward the café, but the boy was already up and moving toward the door. He frowned at her and at Prowl, the youth setting his hand on her back, rubbing over her back gently.

"Hey are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she smiled softly, and Prowl sighed in irritation. "Why?"

"I don't often see you talking to inanimate objects."

"I can assure you I am anything _but _inanimate," Prowl grumbled and begrudgingly shifted to his bipedal state, glad for the lack of pedestrians out and about on the streets today. The blizzard this morning had been a doozey though, and most were probably quite content to stay locked up in their houses with their television sets on. It was what Sari and Bumblebee had been doing almost all morning, since the girl decided to stay the night over with them, or Bee rather. Seemed Sari just couldn't get enough of Bumblebee. He could imagine it now, the two together at the base, wound up all night and unconsciously infatuated with each other. All the more reason for him to go to their ship under the lake. Steven's eyes widened in surprise at his words, and then his face split into a big grin.

"Oh damn! So is this what you're big project is, babe? You're doing something with the Autobots, right?"

"N-no, of course not!" she stammered, green eyes widening minutely and a flush touched at a powdered face beneath the heavy rogue she already wore on her cheeks. Prowl scowled slightly and looked to the boy, already irritated that he couldn't simply whisk the woman away.

"This does not concern her project, or you," he stated bluntly, and Steven blinked, surprised at Prowl's dismissive tone. Prowl returned full attention to Cody, tilting his head, trying to soften his voice once more, not wanting to frighten her off. Not that she was a skittish animal, but he knew the subject of _her _was touchy, and it was _her _specifically he wished to discus. "Cody…" He opened his mouth to continue, when she looked up at him, greens eyes wide and seeking, and he felt his system's warm irritatingly. A look should not distract him. "You're wearing makeup."

The words blurted out and he cringed at them, confused. Her makeup wasn't the issue, why even bother to bring that up? Sure, it was unusual for her to be wearing so much, but then again he'd only known her for about a day! A single day! Perhaps yesterday had been an off day and perhaps she wore makeup all the time!

Why did the amount of makeup she wore matter_ anyway_?!

"Oh," she blinked and smiled wryly, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Right. Steven likes it when I wear makeup."

"I like my girl made up," Steven shrugged and grinned, wrapping an arm about her comfortably. She leaned into him, but her head tilted minutely to the side opposite him, the smallest of gestures she probably didn't even notice, but Prowl caught it.

"So you prefer your female to be covered in powders and chemicals?" he asked blandly. Cody's lips twitched into a vague grin at his words and she glanced toward Steven out of the corner of her eye, the young man huffing and releasing her suddenly to cross his arms, his brow creasing slightly.

"No, it's not like that. It just looks so much more professional is all."

"I must disagree."

"Well it's not like she's your girlfriend or like you're spending as much time with her as I am," Steven snapped, irritation marring his formerly handsome face, and Prowl felt smug. He turned full focus to Cody once more, the girl biting down on a smile, her features warmed and softer now.

"I would like to discus something of great importance with you Cody, and I fear that your Steven simply cannot be included in our conversation," he told her humbly and Cody looked up at him, a soft flush touching her cheeks, the sweetness of it barely visible beneath the heavy rouge. He had the sudden urge to reach forward and try to wipe the makeup off, find a soft cloth and clean her face of such ridiculous nonsense. Steven opened his mouth to argue, but Prowl's hand snapped out, covering the boy's mouth sharply, the annoying youth blinking in surprise. "You see, there's something I've discovered that's led to a few questions, and I need your help in answering them."

"What sort of questions?"

"Ones I do not feel comfortable discussing with an audience," Prowl frowned slightly, glancing pointedly toward Steven as he tried to dodge away from Prowl's hand, flailing to get loose. He moved with the boy though, his hand staying firmly over his obnoxious trap as Steven flailed for attention. Cody hesitated, and then nodded her head.

"All right."

"Cody!" Steven gasped as he caught Prowl's arm and shoved it down, looking at her with obvious irritation. "We were going to go—"

"I know, Steven, but maybe later," she offered her ridiculous boyfriend a kind little smile, leaning forward to kiss him daintily on the cheek. Steven huffed and adjusted his mouth, catching her lips firmly and eagerly. A warmer blush appeared on Cody's face and Prowl's optic ridge creased in annoyance, especially as Steven gave him a very pointed look over her shoulder. The pointed look said clearly: this is mine, not yours. Prowl couldn't understand the _point _of the look. It certainly wasn't as if he was planning to steal Cody from such a bothersome youth. After all, despite the little bit Cody and he _did _share in common, she was still human. He would not lower himself to such taboo behavior.

He hoped.

Cody pulled slowly from the kiss, her lips delicately curved. Steven looked down at her, his longing clear in his pout.

"Later? Okay?" Cody emphasized with a small huff.

"You can't keep wandering off, sweetheart. This entire past week has been nothing but you racing from one place to the next. We need time for—"

Prowl took a small step of shock back as a small pocketbot flashed from one of Cody's dreads and zipped right for Steven, instantly buzzing fitfully around the boy's head, exasperating to Steven in its persistency, but quite charming to Prowl. Steven made a noise of surprise and smacked at it wildly, trying to bat it away, but the thing continued its attack, Cody tilting her head and watching in silent amusement and Prowl smirked, reaching out and catching her arm.

Unusual though the pocketbot's behavior was, it was obviously on his side, and he would not pass up an evident chance to get this woman away from the leech that was her boyfriend.

"Come," he murmured and she looked up at him, and then nodded. He transformed into his alt mode and the woman got on, fitting snugly against him. She leaned forward and rested against the gas tank, her hands settling over the levers. He felt her breasts press against him and his engine began to warm, the girl resting close against him as her thighs tightened against his sides. The pocketbot relented on Steven and latched itself onto the woman once more, Steven's eyes widened as he saw his girlfriend's present position. He reached for her just as Prowl twisted the throttle and shot forward onto the snowy road, tires having no trouble moving through the slush and ice.

Prowl purred to leave the annoying human behind, glad he'd been able to convince Cody away from him. He glanced toward the woman at the thought, surprised by the thrilled smile on her face, her eyes bright, almost glowing, in the afternoon sun. She wrapped her hand tighter on the throttle and gave it a turn, Prowl feeling his body being propelled forward, urged to move faster, and he did so. The wind picked up around them and Cody's hair snapped about her face and behind her, a fiery tangle in the cold air. The pocketbot was tightly clinging to a dread, waving in the wind with all of the other locks.

He made a few sharp turns before deciding they were a safe enough distance from Steven. Prowl pulled to a stop beside the park, Cody pausing and then slipping off of him, offering a tiny smile. She was trembling minutely and her face and hands had taken on a pink hue from the cold wind.

"That was awfully fast," she murmured.

"I suppose I was eager to be rid of the pest," he replied blandly, transforming into his bipedal state again and looking down to the young woman. He suddenly wished for a nose so he could wrinkle it in disgust as humans were so prone to doing. Despite the pink hue, the makeup was still repulsively obvious. He led the young woman to a water fountain and was pleased to see the pipes had not yet frozen over and blocked the water flow. He held the spigot and gestured to the running water. "Wash your face."

"Why?" her brow creased in minute irritation and she crossed her arms.

"Because I do not care for the sight of so much makeup on you."

"You're not my boyfriend."

The statement said a good deal more to him than he might've expected and he frowned, wishing he didn't understand. It was bad enough her boyfriend wanted her wearing all that make up, now here he was demanding she take it all off, just because he didn't like it. Primus, it made him sound no worse than the moron she professed some bond to. Prowl heaved an unneeded sigh and looked away from her toward the lake, still unfrozen but incredibly cold.

"Then don't. It's up to you, Cody."

She frowned, then cupped her hands and caught the water, splashing it over her face. She rubbed at the skin until it turned reddish, the water that pooled in the fountain shadowy and flesh toned. Prowl resisted the urge to smile, not at all wanting to appear smug. His optics drifted to the pocketbot still in her hair and he reached out and plucked it quickly, before it could escape, the tiny thing writhing in-between his fingers, tiny feet at a run.

"Where did this come from?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. He was in my room one day."

"These belong to Sumdac. They're supposed to be miniature pets, but…" he paused, not wanting to bring up how one of these tiny thing earlier led an attempt to kill them all once, spying on them, but how he wasn't necessarily sure. Sumdac was a bit naïve at times, but he certainly posed them no harm. "But I thought Sumdac couldn't get the hang of them."

"I guess he did," her voice was thoughtful now and attention elsewhere. Prowl released his grip on the small bug and it flew to Cody, disappearing once more into the dreadlocks. She blinked up at him curiously and he frowned at the slight spark in her gaze, her attention settled firmly on him, flashing over his face inquisitively. "What did you want to ask me about?"

"I did some research last night."

"Did you?" her voice was wry and he brushed away the sudden wash of guilt. He was right to have looked, no one could penalize him for being curious and she had _certainly _made him curious with her reactions to many of the things said and asked last night. No, he'd done nothing wrong at all.

"Yes. On your origins. Cody, the questions I have are about you."

"I don't want to talk about me," she snapped, turning instantly, but he reached out and caught her shoulder, keeping his touch slight, so not to upset her. It worked. She paused and glanced back at him, the hurt obvious on her face and he once more bit down on the guilt, not daring to let such nonsense stop him from his inquiry.

"If you don't want to answer them, then that's fine, I respect that. Still, I would like to ask you these questions."

The woman looked forward for a long moment, then glanced back at him uncertainly and took a deep breath. He gazed at her steadily, his hand remaining comfortably on her shoulder. She looked toward it, seemed to study the silver digits.

"Please," he murmured, waiting patiently.

"All right," she whispered. "If I don't want to answer, I don't have to?"

"Not unless you feel you would like to. I can also promise you this will not get out to anyone else. It will be strictly between you and me."

"A secret?"

"If you like."

She turned suddenly to face him, holding out her hand with her pinky out, her eyes vibrant and cheerful. The sudden shift in attitude caught him by surprise and he took a small step back from her, gazing unsurely down at her.

"If it's a promise then it must be a pinky promise. After all, you can't break a pinky promise."

"I— all right," he frowned, holding out his pinky and staring at her patiently. The woman laughed and hooked hers with his and their hands dropped and rose in an odd and very foreign shake. She released him from her grip and giggled, walking along a path at a comfortable pace, the Autobot following her, befuddled by her sudden change in nature. She had shifted a good deal though in the past few minutes. She'd gone from being a doll for her boyfriend to a free and thrill-seeking woman to a child all within an hour.

"What do you want to ask me?" she sounded calm again, her voice its polite little tone from before and she looked up at him through dreads tangled from the ride over.

"I researched Ireland last night. It is uninhabitable now, I noticed. Did you ever live there?"

"Once," she murmured, rubbing at her arm and glancing up at him. "Years ago."

"I see. I also found some information on you last night. Apparently, you died back in 2011 _in _Ireland. Would you care to explain that one to me?"

She did not, if her silence was any indication. Her attention was focused entirely on the ground, dreadlocks falling about her face. She was chewing her lower lip and her hands were once more wringing together and fidgeting.

"That was many years ago, more than fifty and you, as a human, do not look older than twenty and I'm quite certain they've created nothing that maintains youth so well. I would really like to know what's going on."

"It must be an error. Perhaps you looked up another Cody?"

"No. Cody Rinth, from Ireland. The identification picture matched your own and I would be willing to bet should we perform a retinal scan or run your fingerprints through the database it will come up the same." Prowl frowned, looking down at her openly, but she stared straight ahead, not daring to make eye contact, her hands clenched tighter.

"I don't want to talk about me," her voice was a very soft whisper now and his optic ridge creased in confusion and slight irritation. What was she hiding? What was there to hide? What bothered her so greatly she couldn't even discuss it with him under the cultural binding of a pinky promise?

"But it is precisely you that needs to be discussed."

"I don't see what the big deal is. Where I'm from, when I was born, when I _supposedly _died. It's not important."

"Everything that concerns you is apparently _not _important. I told you we can keep this between us."

"Y-you've got some nerve!" she snapped, turning and glaring up at him heatedly, a bright liquid in her eyes and he reached out, gently stroking it away as a tear rolled down her cheek. It was unusually slick, feeling more like oil than the actual water and salt that made up human tears, and instantly Prowl felt only more confused. She smacked back at his hand and he caught hers, pulling her close, mindful not to hurt her. "Y-you know something makes me uncomfortable and then you go and look it up. You _pry_!"

"Only because I was curious, Cody," he murmured, reaching up and settling a hand on her upper arm. "I didn't mean to upset you and if it was something that would truly cause you harm, I would not have done it."

"W-what do you know about harm?" she shrieked, pushing against his chest plate. "You're a machine! And ugly, emotionless machine! Y-you're not flesh and bone and blood. Y-you have a mainframe, not a brain. Y-you're just an _imitation_!"

He was stung by the words and wasn't entirely sure as to why. Prowl glared down at the woman as she thrashed against him, her hair flying slightly, the 'bot in it flickering some as the afternoon sun hit it just so. She was crying harder now as she twisted in his hands. He hadn't at all expected this reaction from her, but something indeed was going on with Cody Rinth and there was something in her past that bothered her a good deal.

"Y-you're fake! You don't feel, you don't cry, you don't hurt, and you don't love! You're nothing!"

He scowled and yanked the woman forward against him tightly, shocking Cody with the motion and she looked up at him with wide, wet eyes, the spark once more flickering in the depths of her dark pupils. He leaned forward and moved without thinking, without considering, something he very rarely enjoyed doing. His lips met her own firmly and she made a tiny noise of surprise, tense in his grip still, before softening, shuddering. He was stunned with himself, but didn't dare pull away from the attack, instead kissing her as passionately as he could manage, as he could ever hope for, his mouth pillaging hers as his glossa teased at the crease of soft, trembling lips. She opened her mouth for him, accepted him, and he took the advantage as soon as he could, glossa meeting and battling with her tongue. She made another tiny noise of pleasure that made his systems hum warmly.

She tasted electrical, heated, and it was confusing as the rest of her had become to him. Did all humans taste this way? He wasn't certain. He would have thought not. He thought perhaps they would taste however they smelled, dirty or overly sweet or overly…anything but this. He wrapped his arms about her, holding her body near and passionately to his own and she mewled, her arms wrapping about his neck as she pressed her body close as well. It felt much too good, the curves firm and shuddering against him. He moved a leg between hers and pressed, a spark of heat in his system when she gasped and then gave another warm little mewl, thrusting down onto his thigh, her fingertips digging against the metal along his shoulders and back, a surprisingly firm sensation that he felt. Usually human fingertips were too delicate to actually grip at metal.

He wrapped his arms about her back and dug his fingers into her side. He felt her arch against him and her breasts were soft against his chest plate. Prowl growled down at her, the sound firm as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss, her tongue flicking hot trails on his glossa, investigating his mouth as he investigated hers, the foreign softness surprisingly treacherous with the firm teeth. He heard her make another small noise in her throat and it did nothing to cool his systems.

Slowly he pulled from the kiss, licking over his lips as he gazed down at the woman, frowning. She leaned forward to try and keep contact, but gave in, pulling back from him slightly, her cheeks flushed and warm, and her gaze dreamy, softened. She was panting slightly.

"I can assure you miss Rinth that I am _very _feeling. Understand?" he whispered, tilting his head, trying to keep the waver out of his voice.

She blinked and flushed, ducking her head and nodding.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I'm just… it's just…"

"When you feel prepared to discuss with me what exactly is going on, we can talk then."

She frowned and looked down, but nodded her head once more. The fiery passion was completely gone from her, and for an instant Prowl wished perhaps he hadn't said anything, that perhaps he'd let the silence draw out between them and burn up with the rest of his body. The young woman pulled out of his arms and adjusted her coat and scarf, eyes downward and unfocused. She turned and began to exit the park. Prowl hesitated a moment, and then he opened his mouth.

"Would you care for a ride back?"

Cody paused and turned to face him, gazing at him suspiciously, before very slowly an eager and bright smile touched her lips, and she nodded. Prowl smirked and transformed, revving his engines, and tried desperately to ignore how very good it felt when she got on and pressed her body close and firm to his, or the way her hips shyly rocked down into the seat.


End file.
